Client-based application availability

• US 6,321,263 B1
• Filed: 05/11/1998
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reps, Steven M., Luzzi, Joseph, Zhu, Gengxin
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/076,050
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/203, 702/186, 395/704
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions

Abstract

In a distributed computing environment, a method, system and program product for monitoring, from a client computer system the performance of an application program residing on a server computer system. A probe program residing at the client computer generates requests for the services of the application program and records transaction records based upon service responses therefrom. The requests and transaction record generation is controlled by a set of probe configuration information at the client computer. Transaction records are provided to a central repository whereat statistical information is pre-processed and inserted into statistics tables. A display system enables a computer user to interactively request and view a plurality of displays of data sets of the monitoring data. Each data set includes data elements which may be interactively indicated by the viewer to cause the retrieval and display of related data sets having data elements associated with those in the original display.

Claims

1. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, a method for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table; and

processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the processing step further includes the steps of:

extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics; and

loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the central repository is coupled to the network at a location which is remote from the client computer and the server computer.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the generated transaction records are forwarded to the remote central repository at the time they are generated at the client computer.

5. A method according to claim 2 further including the step of loading the generated transaction records into a designated memory location in the client computer.

6. A method according to claim 2 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the accumulation of a defined number of said transaction records loaded into the first table and wherein the portion of the transaction records to be statistically processed corresponds to the defined accumulated number of transaction records.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval.

8. A method according to claim 2 wherein the transaction records each include an indication of the time interval required to provide the application services to the client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes a range of the indicated time intervals included in the portion of the transaction records.

9. A method according to claim 2 wherein the transaction records and statistics stored in the central repository may be accessed through a web server computer by authorized computer users on the computer network.

10. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, a method for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table;

processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling;

extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics;

loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository;

wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval, and wherein the defined time interval corresponds to the scheduled availability of the application program to provide the application services for the client computer on a particular day and wherein the portion of the transaction records corresponds to the transaction records loaded into the first table during the defined time interval.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the transaction records include an indication of whether said application services were successfully provided to said client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes the percentage of said portion of transaction records having the indication that the application services were successfully provided to the client computer.

12. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, an apparatus for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

means for loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

means for scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table; and

means for processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the means for processing further includes:

means for extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

means for providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics; and

means for loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the central repository is coupled to the network at a location which is remote from the client computer and the server computer.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the generated transaction records are forwarded to the remote central repository at the time they are generated at the client computer.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13 further including means for loading the generated transaction records into a designated memory location in the client computer.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the accumulation of a defined number of said transaction records loaded into the first table and wherein the portion of the transaction records to be statistically processed corresponds to the defined accumulated number of transaction records.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval.

19. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the transaction records each include an indication of the time interval required to provide the application services to the client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes a range of the indicated time intervals included in the portion of the transaction records.

20. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the transaction records and statistics stored in the central repository may be accessed through a web server computer by authorized computer users on the computer network.

21. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, an apparatus for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

means for loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

means for scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table;

means for processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling;

means for extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

means for providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics; and

means for loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository;

wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval, and wherein the defined time interval corresponds to the scheduled availability of the application program to provide the application services for the client computer on a particular day and wherein the portion of the transaction records corresponds to the transaction records loaded into the first table during the defined time interval.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the transaction records include an indication of whether said application services were successfully provided to said client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes the percentage of said portion of transaction records having the indication that the application services were successfully provided to the client computer.

23. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, a program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table; and

processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling.

24. A program storage device according to claim 23 wherein the processing step further includes the steps of:

extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics; and

loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository.

25. A program storage device according to claim 24 wherein the central repository is coupled to the network at a location which is remote from the client computer and the server computer.

26. A program storage device according to claim 25 wherein the generated transaction records are forwarded to the remote central repository at the time they are generated at the client computer.

27. A program storage device according to claim 24 further including the step of loading the generated transaction records into a designated memory location in the client computer.

28. A program storage device according to claim 24 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the accumulation of a defined number of said transaction records loaded into the first table and wherein the portion of the transaction records to be statistically processed corresponds to the defined as accumulated number of transaction records.

29. A program storage device according to claim 24 wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval.

30. A program storage device according to claim 24 wherein the transaction records each include an indication of the time interval required to provide the application services to the client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes a range of the indicated time intervals included in the portion of the transaction records.

31. A program storage device according to claim 24 wherein the transaction records and statistics stored in the central repository may be accessed through a web server computer by authorized computer users on the computer network.

32. In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, the server computer providing application services to the client computer over the network via an application program on the server computer, and wherein the client computer generates transaction records based upon the application services provided thereto, a program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for storing said generated transaction records in a central repository coupled to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if said transaction records generated at said client computer are to be forwarded to said central repository;

loading the generated transaction records into a first table of said central repository if it is determined that said generated transaction records are to be forwarded to the central repository;

scheduling the statistical processing of a portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table;

processing statistics based upon said portion of the transaction records loaded into the first table in accordance with said scheduling;

extracting a copy of the portion of the transaction records from the first table;

providing the extracted copy to a statistical processor to process the statistics; and

loading the processed statistics into a statistics table in the central repository;

wherein the scheduling of said statistical processing of said portion of said transaction records is based upon the passage of a defined time interval, and wherein the defined time interval corresponds to the scheduled availability of the application program to provide the application services for the client computer on a particular day and wherein the portion of the transaction records corresponds to the transaction records loaded into the first table during the defined time interval.

33. A program storage device according to claim 32 wherein the transaction records include an indication of whether said application services were successfully provided to said client computer and wherein said processed statistics for said portion of transaction records includes the percentage of said portion of transaction records having the indication that the application services were successfully provided to the client computer.